


Tender Loving Care

by just_ann_now



Category: Firefly
Genre: Childhood Memories, Comfort Food, Gen, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-07 10:32:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1118855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_ann_now/pseuds/just_ann_now
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Them fancy-ass doctors don’t know shit about gettin’ people better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tender Loving Care

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Meril (allie)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allie/gifts).



**Tender Lovin’ Care**

I poked my head into the sickbay. “Hey, doc, she doin’ any better?” He shook his head without even botherin' to look at me.

First we thought Kaylee had maybe caught somethin' down there on Emerson, but five of us had gone down and she was the only one who took sick. Allergy, maybe, the doc said, mold spores or somethin’ like that. The first few days she was just snifflin’, then she started coughin’ and hackin’ and runnin’ a fever. She’d been two days now in sickbay, sometimes fightin’ to breathe, sometimes just tossin’ and moanin’. He kept pumpin’her full of meds, but nuthin seemed to be helpin’. Fancy-ass doctors don’t know shit about gettin’ people better.

I went on down to my bunk and threw myself on the bed, thinkin’ ‘bout poor Kaylee. She was always pretty nice to me, even when I’d been a real jackass to her. It just tore me up to see her lookin’ so bad. Then I started thinkin’ bout when I was little, and I’d get sick. My momma would cook me up somethin’, and I’d be right as rain in no time. Then I got to thinkin’ I could probably fix some of it, too, if I could just remember what went into it. I thought and thought, writin’ stuff down and then crossin’ it off; then I took my list and went to find the cap’n.

“One hour. That is all. One hour. Don’t get yourself into no trouble down there, neither. One hour is all you got. Do you understand me? One. Hour. And no getting in trouble.”

“No sir, cap’n, no trouble at all! I got me a list, see, all I need are these few things, and I even got money to buy ‘em. I’ll do my shoppin’ and be right back before you can say, ‘Will Robinson.’ ” He grunted like he d’int believe it, but d’int say nothin’ else so off I went, quick-like.

I figured I would just lift what I could, and buy the rest, but when I got down there I seen I’d have to buy most all of it – stealin’ was easy, but the cleanin’ would have been damn near impossible. I went to a bunch of little shops, and ended up at the one that smelled the least bad. When the lady figured out what I was fixin’, she suggested some other stuff t’add, but I said no – I wanted it to be as much like my momma’s as I could make it. No telling what other people put in theirs, and whether it would work the same as momma’s or not.

On the way back, though, I was passin’ right by a big ole’ garden when suddenly it hit me, what I had forgot. Somethin’ important. “Gorramit!” I said, right out loud.

“Excuse me?” An old lady stuck her head up from behind the hedge, giving me one of them old-lady kinds of glares.

“Oh, ma’am, I am so sorry,” I said. I’d been around enough old ladies when I was a kid that I knew how to act right when I was around ‘em. “I was just saying, ‘Gorramit, I wish I had told my grammaw how much I loved her, before I left home.’ She has a garden just like this one was what made me think of it. I apologize, ma’am for offending you, right when you was working here in peace and quiet.”

Her face seemed to soften all at once. These old ladies, I swear. It’s the easiest thing in the ‘verse to sweet-talk ‘em. “A garden like this? Where was it? There aren’t many gardens like this still around – they all want the water for other things.”

“No ma’am, it was back on Woodrow Call, where I growed up. Seein’ all these plants and smellin’ ‘em just reminded me of her. Would you mind awfully if I came in and just smelled the plants a little? I won’t touch nuthin’, I promise.”

“You poor dear. Here’s the gate; come right on in, that’s a good boy. Let me go get you some lemonade, too, and cookies. It’s a hot day and you’re looking all sweaty already.” She disappeared into the house.

While she was inside fixin’ the lemonade I poked around as quick as I could, rubbing and sniffin’ leaves, trying to find – aha! There it was, prickly green leaves like pine needles and little blue flowers. I pulled some off, way in the middle of the plant so she wouldn’t notice, and stuck them in my carry bag along with the other stuff. 

She brought the lemonade, nice and tangy just the way I like it, and a plateful of gingersnaps besides. It was almost like being back at my meemaw’s, nice and chatty at first, and then after a while turnin’ naggy and annoyin’, so I said goodbye and thank-you just like I been taught.

When I got back to the ship, I got right to work on slicin’ and choppin’ and settin’ things to simmer. After a while the smell started gettin’ around, and folks began pokin’ their heads in the galley.

“Hey, is that…” Zoë said.

"No, it’s not.” 

Shepherd come down the hallway, grinnin’. “It smells just like…”

“But it ain’t. And it’s for Kaylee, anyway, so y’all can just piss off.”

Crazy Girl came in dancing and singing. “ _Are you going to Scarborough Fair….”_

“Out!” I yelled. She sorta flounced off, gigglin’; it was kinda cute.

Finally it was ready. I poured out a bowlful and put it on a tray, gathered up a spoon and some napkins, and carefully carried it down to sickbay. Folks started followin’ that smell; it was almost like a parade.

Kaylee was stirrin’ just a bit, but when I came in with the tray she opened her eyes. “Is that…it can’t be…is it chicken soup?” she asked, all dreamy-like.

“It sure is, mei-mei, just like my momma’s, to fix you right up.’ I set the tray down, fluffed her pillow a bit and wrapped the napkin ‘round her neck. She smiled, then opened up her mouth like a tiny baby bird. I ain’t felt so proud of somethin’ in a good long time. 

Doc just stood by, arms folded, givin’ me the death glare. Them fancy-ass doctors don’t know shit about gettin’ people better.  



End file.
